Black August
I.
Hooded eyelids under heavy lashes
doin’ the rain dance like she’s Hopi
Mariah’s a Scientist
I turned a leaf into gold in the silence,
full metal jackets
make her fall in love like rogue leaves,
hypnotizing glances,
divination for a divine creation
Baring it all like a nudist, waistbeads on
—
she’s an Erykah Badu-ist
My enchantress, secret romances,
Private vacances, walk down road in rain
I need one dance, right hand guide
waist
convince her to take chance,
know she's datin’ but it’s been
a long time since she faced man,
looked into eyes while he moved hair strand
She heard I'm a warrior,
wants me to take her to the oracle
hoping a virgin can tell her her future
while our bodies tie up like loose ends
II.
This is a story of Dracula,
the night’s grand ambassador
Handing off contraband
batons got me feeling the calluses,
remembering the way they did me
feeling the callousness,
now my morning routine is sippin' winter
cold spring water out chilled chalices
Southern, dark, and handsome
Badman playboy
Off-the-wake-up
get-straight-to-a-play boi
Black man’s savior
They want me to crash like broken symbol
I would rather step very quiet
Very silent
Very graceful
I would rather get paid
When they bury me,
Put the Tutankhamen face on
Join the Empire if you want to prevail
Black Diamonds all in crowns,
you ain’t just insultin’ one sultan here
Impaled my fingers wit’ gold
Mansa Musa — Vladimir
III.
Beautiful women around the world
sound out my name with cherry stems
twisted around rose-colored pearls
They said I’m chaotic and toxic
but they love how I’m sculpted
I have my grandmother's eyes,
my father’s style
I’m my brother’s keeper,
and my mother’s child
My sisters know to hit me if their man hit em,
I gotta meet my last grandfather before he dies
there's a melody in this melanin
I know they told you there's only aggression
and depression in our melanin, but…
I walk around adorned in precious metals
‘cause I know stories about my history
starting with cotton is a fabrication
Chromosomes been coronated,
gold that I can see my reflection in
before I give commandments to my regiment
cross lamiai and hope to die today,
if I’m lyin’
Cab' sauv' bandannas, rubies without the rose,
the golden child in the hood, you think it's the c-notes?
IV.
I ain't a master of mathematics
but in the matrix I keep it discreet
Many men put a dollar on my head
but they half-steppers
50 cents, never seen 50 Gs
They changin’ up like 50 cents
but that's not my problem
I’m thinking ‘bout the Snakes
I see Slytherin a little more
Two-faced like Snape and Dumbledore,
I wanna give the green light like Voldemort
Avada Kedavra, kill her softly when I charm her
A black sword grew out of the asphalt
with bloody thorns, petals rough and rugged,
trying to survive until the morning
V.
I helped Stella get her groove back
She thinks she’s Harley Quinn
but she ain’t wit’ a Joker tonight
I told you I’m a player
but I’m more Big Punisher
I keep the Drac’ by me like owl eyes
Money is the root of everlasting power
I only do the Beamers wit’ the frog eyes
What if I told you that I had the Midas touch?
Melting gold on your hand,
rubies set in your blood,
diamonds dripping off your body,
they ain’t got nothin’ on you huh?
Copyright ©
Elami Zuberi
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